Felony charges filed against 'Goblin Topplers'

This will be a really interesting case of justice. If they get 5-years, which I
doubt, what other felony crimes is that comparable too? How many DUIs will not
get 5-years? Child porn? Attempted murder? Bank robbery? Domestic abuse? White
Collar crime of mortgage fraud for millions of dollars?

The act of
topling a rock is one thing, we now measure the harm to society versus these
other criminal acts. I worry with the heightened sense of fury from the
environmental angle and they may get a harsher sentence than these others
I've mentioned.

wrzPhoenix, AZ

Feb. 1, 2014 8:14 p.m.

@Shaun:"It is obvious from the video that the rock did not pose any
danger."

It certainly won't now.

@cjb:"The formations in Goblin park are millions of years old..."

The entire earth is millions if not billions of years old.

"The
whole reason this state park exists is because of these formations."

About 99.999999 percent of the formations are still there. Enjoy them
and forget the single rock laying on the ground.

"Utah has
millions of dollars in tourism, in part because of its unique geological
formations."

This should bring millions more to see the rock in
question.

"If one truly felt this formation was a danger how hard
would it have been to notify park rangers?"

I think they were
off. Wasn't the government shut down?

wrzPhoenix, AZ

Feb. 1, 2014 4:51 p.m.

The bid question is... is there a law (or regulation) against tipping rocks over
in this national park? And why, in the first place, is this a national instead
of a state park? Are the rangers, who soulda been on the job, state or federal
employees? Inquiring minds wanna know.

cjbBountiful, UT

Feb. 1, 2014 12:23 p.m.

The formations in Goblin park are millions of years old, they are irreplaceable.
The whole reason this state park exists is because of these formations. How
anyone could take it upon them self to destroy what is there is beyond belief.
Utah has millions of dollars in tourism, in part because of its unique
geological formations.

If one truly felt this formation was a danger
how hard would it have been to notify park rangers?

ShaunSandy, UT

Feb. 1, 2014 9:40 a.m.

The attitude of some people is alarming. "Its just a rock." It is
obvious from the video that the rock did not pose any danger.

I hope
they do receive some jail time.

sunderland56Moab, UT

Feb. 1, 2014 8:41 a.m.

Everyone says how this was "a dangerous rock", and should have been
removed. From the video itself, it was not at all easy to topple the rock; and
why stop at just this one? Every single hoodoo in the park is similar, and will
fall over in the next few hundred years. If they remove all the danger, the park
would cease to be interesting.

Let us hope that these three
don't visit Arches National Park and see Balanced Rock.

Strider303Salt Lake City, UT

Feb. 1, 2014 6:28 a.m.

I think that BSA needs to require Church scout leaders to complete basic
training and any other training deemed necessary for leaders before they are
allowed to take young men into the wilderness. IMO the two "leaders"
were untrained, terribly poor examples of stewardship of the wilderness
experience.

I do not think their "mea culpa" was sufficient.
I do not agree with their statement that they are moving on cuts it for me. I
am satisfied with the charges and let them work it out in court.

My2CentsTaylorsville, UT

Feb. 1, 2014 4:32 a.m.

Not Guilty of any crime and common sense and saving peoples lives from injury
was the only reason this toppling was performed.

Had they not acted
to prevent harm, death, or injury to the scouts in their trust then it would
have been a crime of manslaughter. Was it commons senses to save other from harm
or is this an absurd AG pretender trying to make a name for himslef? Then to
date it retroactive to entrap for a crime that wasn't a crime before the
law is illegal.

Some times its more stupid not to act and in this
case they are not guilty and justified in toppling a car size boulder teetering
toward a disaster by onsite judgement call justified.

Not guilty,
they have saved someones life which is more valuable then a park boulder
endangering lives. Now the park service will have to check every boulder in
every park in the stats to make its secure before anyone can enter the parks.
The state has just made themselves liable for any natural events or slides or
boulders rolling down the slopes or off the top of each other that may harm
visitors.

incog99McCall, ID

Feb. 1, 2014 2:40 a.m.

They are not felons, however, there was a better way to handle the situation.
Instead of taking the law into their own hands, they should have notified the
park rangers of the danger near the trail and allowed the rangers to make the
decision to either move the trail or take down the rock. It is unfortunate for
all involved.

NeanderthalPhoenix, AZ

Feb. 1, 2014 12:48 a.m.

This rock could have likely fallen over in a few years anyway... and maybe hurt
someone.

rajahsmomChicago, IL

Feb. 1, 2014 12:37 a.m.

Come on Utah, you charge a person who broke a few rocks with a felony, but
charged a man who murdered a beautiful yearling horse and nearly starved/froze
her mother to death with a misdemeanor. Something is definitely wrong with this
picture, when inanimate objects have more value than living, breathing, and
sentient beings. A rock....! You want the world to know that you care more for a
rock, than you do God's living creatures?

AlfredPhoenix, AZ

Jan. 31, 2014 11:36 p.m.

Whattheheck?"How do we stop future desecration of natural features
like this..."

Put a sign up at the entrance road and along the
trails that says... 'don't disturb the rock formations. Doing so is a
felony punishable by fine and possible imprisonment.'

These guys
just might have saved someone's life by stabilizing an unstable rock in the
park. They should receive a medal of some sort.

My friend brought
home a pebble he found on federal property in a Utah desert. It looked like any
rock one might find in a gravel pit. Should he be fined and imprisoned for
malicious and unauthorized removal of government property?

jcobabeProvo, UT

Jan. 31, 2014 8:37 p.m.

This is so melodramatic.

Stupid act of public vandalism in the desert
must be treated as a felony, so everyone understands how serious we are. But
the ugly scrawls of sprayed graffiti that grace our cities everywhere is
"street art", is unremarkable, and goes largely unpunished.

Demo DaveHolladay, UT

Jan. 31, 2014 8:26 p.m.

It's highly doubtful that they'll do any jail time, but felony
convictions, $5000 each, and 5000 hours of community service cleaning pit
toilets at Goblin Valley State Park in August would satisfy my desire for
justice. It might serve as a deterrent for all the other selfish, inconsiderate
miscreants out there.

hooptaxHooper, UT

Jan. 31, 2014 7:26 p.m.

I hope these guys do not plead guilty or take a plea deal. No jury would ever
find them guilty of a felony. They tipped over a rock, that was ready to fall
over anyway! We should not waste the court's time with stupid crap like
this. They should have got a "stern warning" to not do this again and
let it go at that. I hope I get called to jury duty on this stupid case!

Whattheheck?Salt Lake City, UT

Jan. 31, 2014 6:42 p.m.

The charges fit the crime. How do we stop future desecration of natural features
like this, or public or private property if the criminals aren't punished
to the fullest extent? Letting them off with a slap on the hand would only show
others that they can do stupid things like these guys did and get away with it.
The punishment fits the crime, and it WAS a crime.

BoringGuyHolladay, UT

Jan. 31, 2014 6:39 p.m.

Not only did the one guy complicate his disability claim, it looks like both of
these men could actually spend some time at the Point of the Mountain.

Like Forrest Gump says, Stupid is as Stupid does ... or something like that.

gittalopctbiGlendale, AZ

Jan. 31, 2014 6:29 p.m.

I agree with both @md and @Happy Valley Heretic.

BYU Track StarLos Angeles, CA

Jan. 31, 2014 6:17 p.m.

Hmmm.. Wonder why the BSA kicked them out of their Organization? duh, Fellas,
what you did was wrong. What you did was socially unacceptable. Guys, man up and
take your punishment. The people of Utah should be glad Goblin toppling
isn't becoming an Olympic sport, otherwise most of Southeastern Utah will
be a pile of red rocks.

Happy Valley HereticOrem, UT

Jan. 31, 2014 6:00 p.m.

The fine is alright, and while I feel like a felony is a little strong, I
suspect they're making an example of them to discourage this kind of
behavior.